Best’s News & Research Service - January 15, 2026 08:09 AM (EST)
AM Best to Co-Sponsor and Participate at 2026 Emerging Leaders Conference
- January 15, 2026 08:09 AM (EST)
//BestWire// - AM Best will co-sponsor, participate and be recognized at the 8th annual Emerging Leaders Conference, which acknowledges high-performing individuals and provides professional training to develop the next generation of insurance industry leaders. The event, which will take place Feb. 1-3, 2026, in Nashville, TN, is hosted jointly with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) and the Insurance Careers Movement.
Three individuals from AM Best will be honored as emerging leaders in the insurance industry at the annual event: Matt Tuite, director —insurance-linked securities (ILS); Antonietta Iachetta, associate director, ILS; and Kim Bjorheim, manager.
Tuite was appointed to his current role in January 2025. At AM Best, he leads ILS market analysis, assessing capacity trends, catastrophe bond performance, and alternative asset investor sentiment. Prior to joining the ILS team this year, Iachetta was a member of AM Best’s team of global reinsurance analysts and has an extensive background in financial analysis. Bjorheim oversees video production services at AM Best including studio operations, marketing and corporate videos, in addition to live events that involve industry briefings.
“The Emerging Leaders Conference provides an important recognition of these individual’s dedication and commitment to not just AM Best, but the entire insurance industry,” AM Best Rating Services Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stefan Holzberger said. “We continue to be a proud supporter of this conference, and the Insurance Careers Movement. This is an important opportunity to promote the development of young professionals, who will become tomorrow’s industry leaders.”
Additionally, Holzberger will join a panel discussion on Monday, Feb. 2, at 11:10 a.m. (EST), titled, “Leadership, Macro Insurance Trends, Tech and Investing in Our Future.” Joining Holzberger on the panel will be APCIA President and CEO David A. Sampson (moderator); Carol Voorhees, president and CEO, NJM Insurance Group; and Kerri Hamm, head of cyber underwriting, Munich Re US.
The Insurance Careers Movement is an industrywide initiative designed to raise awareness of the diverse career options that risk management and insurance offer, and AM Best is actively participating in the movement to address the industry’s critical talent gap issue. The Insurance Careers Movement has grown to more than 1,000 different insurance carriers, companies, media organizations and third-party vendors from around the globe.
For additional questions about the conference at the Omni Nashville Hotel, please visit the event website or contact Marguerite Tortorello, executive director of the Insurance Careers Movement at mt@tortcommunications.com.
AM Best TV also will provide coverage of the conference. For daily reports and interviews, visit https://www.ambest.tv/elc26 during the event or look for the Emerging Leaders Conference-related playlist under the “Event Coverage 2026” tab at www.ambest.tv.
AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City.